1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cable connector. More particularly, the present invention relates to a multipin cable connector.
2. Description of the Related Technology
DE 295 12 585 U1 discloses a terminal element (cable connector). This terminal element consists of a coupling ring through which a multicore cable is routed. The cable cores, which need not be stripped, are inserted with their ends into the receiving openings in a piece of insulation, by which the ends of the cable cores are deflected out of the lengthwise direction. Afterwards the piece of insulation is connected by a housing flange to the coupling ring. In this installation, insulation piercing connecting devices which are located securely in the housing flange, are connected to the ends of the cable cores. In doing so, the insulation piercing connecting devices penetrate the external insulation of the cable cores and thus establish electrical contact.
One drawback is that the piece of insulation can only be produced with great difficulty and at great expense. Since this insulation piece must not be electrically conductive, it should preferably be made of plastic. In the production of the insulation piece, for example, an injection molding process is used. This injection molding process is very complex in the configuration of the insulation piece as described in DE 295 12 585 U1. It is not easy to eject through the slanted receiving openings for the ends of the cable cores after producing the insulation piece. In other words, complex molds must be prepared to produce the insulating piece because the mold of the insulation piece must have receiving openings that have roughly the same cross section as the ends of the cable cores since these ends must be fixed in the receiving openings so that when the insulation piercing connecting devices are inserted the ends cannot recede, since this would otherwise prevent the making of electrical contact.
Therefore the object of the invention is to improve a cable connector such that production of the cable connector is facilitated while maintaining simple and prompt assembly.
This and other objects of the invention may be achieved by providing a multipin cable connection having a core receiving part (for holding one or more cores of a cable) and a contact carrier having at least one insulation piercing connecting device for establishing electrical connection between at least one cable core and one contact element.
According to one aspect of the invention, between the core receiving part and the contact carrier there is a connecting part which secures at least one cable core in the core receiving part in a contact-making position. Using the connecting part makes construction of the core receiving part and the connecting part more simple in terms of shape, by which the molds for producing the two parts can also be kept more simple. At the same time, as a result of the simplified shaping and the interplay of the core receiving part with the connecting, part it is guaranteed that the end of at least one cable core is fixed securely in the core receiving part and cannot recede when the insulation piercing connecting device establishes the electrical connection between at least one cable core and one contact element.
According to another aspect of the invention, the core receiving part has at least one core guide configured as a channel which is open to the top. This configuration of the core guide makes it easily possible to implement a core guide which ensures that after inserting the cable cores into the core receiving part these ends of the cable cores are always positioned precisely in the area in which the electrical connection to the insulation piercing connecting device is to be established. In addition, as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, a channel which is open to the top can be molded much more easily and removed from the mold as an elongated, closed.
According to another aspect of the invention, the connecting part has a spike which points in the direction of the core receiving part. This spike is designed to press the ends of the cable cores in the channel of the core guide (made open to the top) and to secure them. Using a spike and a wire guide corresponding to its shape, allows simplified shaping, simplified ejection, and defined fixing in the contact-making position.
According to another aspect of the invention, the connecting part has at least one lengthwise slot for guiding at least one insulation piercing connecting device. While the spike of the connecting part is designed to fix the ends of the cable cores in the core guide, the lengthwise slot is designed to guide the insulation piercing connecting device (which is moved through the connecting part) such that electrical connection by means of the insulation piercing connecting device can take place exactly at the site at which the end of the cable core is located. In an especially advantageous manner, in the axial extension of the lengthwise slot of the connecting part the core receiving part also has a lengthwise slot so that the insulation piercing connecting device is guided over a larger part of its lengthwise extension in the core receiving part and in the connecting part and is thus fixed. Accordingly, this effectively prevents the electrical connection between the insulation piercing connecting device and the cable core from being broken. As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, this is especially advantageous when the cable connector is exposed to vibrations.
According to another aspect of the invention, the core receiving part is connected via the connecting part to a contact carrier after the cable connector is installed. The connecting part thus has a central function. Specifically, on the one hand, the connecting part secures the ends of the cable cores in the core receiving part and guides the insulation piercing connecting devices of the contact carrier; while on the other hand, the connecting part ensures the connection between the core receiving part and the contact carrier which are thus connected to one another by means of the connecting part. According to one feature of the invention, it is especially advantageous if the aforementioned parts are clipped, welded or cemented to one another since axial installation (which is especially simple to accomplish) is possible. Therefore, as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, a screw connection cannot be considered in the embodiment. Alternatively, according to the invention, The connection of the connecting part to the core receiving part and the contact carrier can also comprise the jacket of the cable, especially in the form of strain relief, for example, by the indicated parts and one part of the cable jacket being located in a tube.